He was the inspiration for
Kenya’s most expensive poem, ‘The Mathematics of Carey Francis’ (www.AlexanderNderitu.com/mathafu.html).
Amongst colonial-era Kenyan settlers, this enigmatic educators’ statuture is so
great, it is matched only by the likes of Lord Hugh Delamare, Karen Blixen,
Lord & Lady Baden-Powell, and Blessed Irene Stefani. But who was Carey
Francis when he was at home? Like a bat trying to determine the size, speed and
solidity of an object by bouncing multiple sonar signals off the target and
analyzing the feedback, let as examine information from various sources and see
if it paints a sufficient picture of our person of interest…

‘Carey Francis was born at Hampstead on September 13th,
1897, and died at Nairobi on July 27th, 1966. He was educated at
William Ellis School, Hampstead, where he showed extraordinary promise both at
work and at games; he was Head of the school, and the captain of football,
cricket, tennis, and athletics. He served in the First World War, holding a
commission in the H.A.C., and being mentioned in dispatches. He came through
the war unscathed and after the war, he picked up the scholarship to which he
had already been elected at Trinity College, Cambridge…

His mathematical interests were mainly in the area of analysis, and he
was much influenced by three Trinity mathematicians, Hardy, Littlewood and
Pollard. In 1923, he was awarded a Rayleigh Prize for a substantial essay on
the Denjoy-Stieltjes Integral, and two papers, “On differentiation with respect
to a function: and on “The Lebesque-Stieltjes Integral” appeared in the
Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society in November 1925…He was a
brilliant and immensely popular lecturer…He also served as Secretary of the
Faculty Board of Mathematics…

His heart had always been in the Mission field, and his friends were
not surprised when, in 1928, he left Cambridge and went to Kenya as a lay
teaching missionary under the church Missionary Society. He first taught at
Maseno, in Nyanza, and it was there that his
pupils gave him the name of “Achuma” – the man of steel. But Maseno was
only the training-ground for his real-life work, which was the Headmastership
of the Alliance High School in Nairobi. This position he held from 1940 to
1962. It was here that his most important work for African education was
done…Under his guidance, the school attained an almost mystical prestige, and
to be a pupil of Carey Francis at Alliance was a highly valued and much-coveted
distinction. More than half of the members of Kenya’s present cabinet are old
boys of his school.’ – ‘Edward Carey Francis’ (essay) by L. A. Pars, Journal of the London Mathematical Society
(1968)

‘His (Prof David Wasawo’s) brilliance was best summarised by Edward
Carey Francis, the legendary headmaster who taught him at the Alliance High
School in an interview carried in the Sunday
Nation in 1965. When Carey Francis was asked who he thought was the most
brilliant student he had ever taught, the man who shaped some of Kenya’s
brightest minds at Alliance was prompt in his response: “Far and away, David
Wasawo”.’ - 'Brilliant Scholar Who Lectured Into His Golden Years', Business
Daily

‘Nonetheless, Edward Carey Francis, the sixth principal (1928-1940) is
the man most popularly associated with Maseno School. He was born on September
13, 1897 at Hampstead where he was also educated showing great promise as an
all round student at an early age. His education was interrupted by World War 1
in which he also served with distinction.

Carey Francis proceeded to Cambridge University in 1919 where his
academic, sports and leadership qualities blossomed. He was particularly gifted
in the realm of mathematics, especially in its more abstract form, winning many
awards at Cambridge for outstanding performance and originality. Joining the
academic staff at Cambridge between 1922 and 1928, he was a brilliant and
immensely popular lecturer, serving as a fellow of Peterhouse and director of
studies in mathematics.’ – ‘Maseno School: The Giant That Started Beneath GumTrees' (article) by Douglas Kiereini

‘His work was to mould obedient servants of the colonial system, not to
create elites.’ – From the book, ‘The
Kenyatta Cabinets: Drama, Intrigue, Triumph’ (2012)

'Edward Carey Francis left a glowing career at Cambridge to teach in a
junior secondary school in Kenya. He wowed many with his numerical skills, but
his temper and poor opinion of Africans were also legendary...The myriad
theories aside, Edward Carey Francis’ move came at a time when he had the world
in the palm of his hand. Ironically, Carey Francis’ molding of young Kenyans to
serve her majesty’s government unwitting sharpened the minds that would later
overturn British rule in Kenya. The echoes of his actions are still felt, half
a century after his demise on July 27, 1966, at the age of 69.' - 'Math Guru,Magician And Man Of Steel' (article) by Amos Kareithi

'Whenever Carey Francis name is mentioned many remember two things;
Mathematics and Alliance High School...No educator influenced the destiny of
the country more than he did. No white person was as revered by Kenyans as
Edward Carey Francis.' - http://www.kassfm.co.ke

About Me

Born on April 23rd just like William Shakespeare, I have dabbled in
just about every type of writing. My books include: 'When the Whirlwind
Passes'(suspense novel), 'The Moon is Made of Green Cheese' (poetry
anthology), 'Kiss, Commander, Promise' (short story anthology) and 'Africa on My Mind'. They are available as paperbacks and e-books at Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/NewShakespeare